Haier DVD101 DVD Player

• Compatible With Dvd, Vcd, Cd, Cd-R/-Rw, Hdcd, Dvd-R/-Rw and Jpeg
• Progressive Scan
• 5.1-Channel Audio Output
• Led Display
• Dolby(R) Digital Ac-3 Decoder

Like it. Light, solid and looks good. Run quiet and smoothly. Worked well. Worth each $ $ $ $.

Highly Recommend.

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We ordered the DVD on February 2, 2010. It has been over a month and we still have not recieved the DVD player, even when they had said that it would be here in 3-7 days. I myself don't know why it is not here yet because we gave the correct address and everything. It doesn't make sense.

StormChaser WindJacket to fit Zoom H1 Handy Portable Digital Recorder (Full Cover Fur Windscreen)

• Reduces That Annoying Wind Rumble That Ruins All Your Audio!
• Fully encloses recorder to provide maximum wind noise reduction
• See-through vinyl window for monitoring record levels and access to front panel controls
• Velcro closure with elastic straps for holding recorder inside
• Reinforced access to threaded tripod mount socket

I'm relatively new to the a/v recording world and got my zoom to record audio for my gopro videos, as the gopro mic stinks. I primarily got the setup to record my adventures and track days where friends and I drive our cars on local racetracks. Track rules are that windows must be down in most cases so you can wave another car by, hence regardless of placement, the zoom still recorded a lot of wind noise once speeds were 100+mph. This was a great help to get this dead kitten setup...the wind noise isn't entirely eliminated, but I'd say it's reduced 80 to 90%..not to mention this unit is a nice protective case for the zoom I didn't plan it that way, but I leave the zoom in there all the time now!

LG DP781 8-Inch Portable DVD Player

• 8-Inch Portable DVD Player with High Resolution LCD Screen with Swivel and Flip
• Stylish Touch Panel Controls for simple use
• Multi Format Disc Playback DVD Video/DVD+R/DVD+RW/Audio CD/CD-R/CD-RW and USB Media Host for Digital Music and Photo Library
• Long Battery Life with Slim Profile and up to 5 Hours Playback Supplied with Automotive Power Outlet Charger
• A/V Inputs and Outputs and High Fidelity Audio from Stereo Speakers or Twin Earphone Jacks

This dvd player has a very nice picture!

I bought this after returning an audiovox unit I was very unhappy with.

The second time around I was very cautious and read dozens of reviews before purchasing this machine. although it costs a bit more ($15 or so), it has double the resolution of other players in the price range!

If you are looking for a cheap unit for your toddler, you might opt to save the few extra $ (and in that case, I'd opt for the coby over audiovox...much more solid), but if you care about picture quality, isn't it worth a little more?

The build quality is very good, it has a swivel screen like many high end units, and my teen is most impressed with the touch pad (controls).

The only con I can think of is that it does not have some of the bells and whistles of some of the new units (e.g., an ipod doc).

If versatility is more important, consider some other units (like the phillips), but if your primary use is watching movies, or viewing video, this is hard to beat.

Buy LG DP781 8-Inch Portable DVD Player Now

This DVD player has the best LDC unit on a portable device and quality components to go with it. Black levels are very good and the de-interlace is incredibly good. There are no signs of any kind of jagged edges period. Color balance is also excellent. USB port is a nice to have. Has one AV input. At this price level it is an incredible bargain specially when compared to other units I've paid as much as $450.00. Grab one, you will be very happy.

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Ok, this is my second review of this player; I wrote one WEEKS ago that seems to have just disappeared. A month ago, I bought this unit to take to work with me, a reprieve from office maddness. I do not leave home without it! It is a great unit, but let's start with the biggest complaint some have about it, volume. What I have found is that the volume quality is dependent upon the movie you are watching. I watched Ocean's 12 and found the volume to be too low, except for when music was playing. I would actually have to turn it down then. I watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith and had no problem whatsoever with the volume. Also, I have watched several other DVDs including one I watched in a barber shop where there were 2 televisions going; I had no problem with the volume. One feature that attracted me to this unit is the USB port. My MP3 player plugs directly into it; all the folders appear on the screen and there is NO problem with the volume at all. Of course there is not big Bose sound, but the volume is good. I think the issue with the volume may just be some glitch in whatever technology LG used on this product because music comes through loud and clear. At the store, its volume certainly did not win any prizes matched against other bigger name brands, but theirs did not match LG's picture quality. One can always (at a very low cost) use accessories to improve the sound if need be; you can't do that for the picture quality. The picture quality is absolutely unmatched by anything else out there. It is simply smooth and gorgeous. I hear that LG provides the display technology for the monitors and tvs of the larger companies. I spent a lot of time researching and made TWO trips to Bestbuy in ONE night, multiple DVDs in hand to test, before I later decided to go with this one. The touch sensor is great if it is important to you. It gets a lot of fingerprints on it though because of the high gloss finish of the console. Yet it is this finish that makes the unit look a lot more classy in person than it does in the pictures. On another site there was a complaint about the awkwardness of the battery, once again, I do not have a problem with it at all. I find that it balances the unit very well. I have not had to hold it on my lap, however. Also, with a couple of searches, I was able to find a very easy process of making the unit region free. With the included accessories all I needed was a carrying case, which I got for free when I bought the unit. If you are looking for a very good PDVDP with the highest resolution available, and you do not want to spend a lot of money, I say this is the one for you! If you are worried about the sound quality, go into a store with your own movies and music and test it out for yourself.

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While I certainly concur with other reviews that this unit has a great picture, I cannot get over the fact that no reviews I read mentioned the poor volume. You cannot hear this player. When I was in the room alone, with the volume at its highest point, I could hear it fine. With other people in the room -occasional chatter, movement, etc -I couldn't hear it, could not turn it up to the point that I could hear what was being said. The worst moment came when we went on a trip and none of our kids could hear a thing, not a thing, in any of the headphones we own or even without headphones. They could hear nothing in the car on the highway and absolute silence while on the plane. We tried different DVDs, then I called LG, as I thought we received a unit with a problem. Surprisingly I was told that this particular unit is not very loud. That's it. I was stunned and of course we returned it. What good is a great picture if you cannot hear it? If you are planning to use this unit anywhere that may have background noise, beware, you will have a very hard time hearing it.

We used this LG DP781 8-Inch Portable DVD Player on the plane and even with a good headset, could barely hear the sound. How frustrating is it to have to press the head set tightly against your ears and still not catch the dialogue. Visuals are fine but without the audio that it should deliver, there's no point in having the machine.

SanDisk Sansa e270 6 GB MP3 Player with SD Expansion Slot (Black)

• Sleek, ultra-thin digital audio/image/video player with 6 GB of flash memory
• Compatible with MP3, WMA, and WMA-DRM10 music files (PlaysForSure)
• FM tuner with record capability and voice recorder; bright 1.8-inch color TFT LCD
• Convert most popular video formats (MPEG-4, WMV, DivX) to play on device
• User-replaceable rechargeable lithium-ion battery for up to 20 hours of life

June 15 2006 Unlike some of the reviewers, I couldn't care less about music "services" be they iTunes, Rhapsody, etc.

Why pay 0.99 to anyone for DRM crippled tracks?

The artist doesn't benefit.

I listen to CDs I have bought and ripped.

For that purpose, this unit works beautifully with *any* OS including Mac X, WinXP, even Linux.

The e270 can act like a flash/keychain drive:

just go into the Settings menu and change the USB mode.

The e270 also shows the album art (folder.jpg) while playing tracks.

The e200 series has a beautiful display, better than the Nano.

I wouldn't whine about the design being imitative:

the Nano has better quality buttons/wheel,

the e270's controls are comparatively flimsy-feeling and are harder for large fingers to operate.

Besides, didn't Apple copy from *Creative's* mp3 players in the first place?

The courts are reviewing that question now.

THE ISSUE.

My only issue is that the USB cable is proprietary, mandatory, and irreplaceable.

And, Sandisk is currently unable to provide a replacement if you lose it.

Without the special Sandisk USB cable, you can't even recharge the on-board Lithium battery,

and also there's no wall wart for AC power available either.

By contrast, my previous Sandisk e140 player (a 1GB model) uses an AAA battery

--and the same USB cable most digital cameras use.

Batteryand connection-wise the e140 is a better solution,

but the drawback is a dim monocolor display.

If you have good eyesight, the e140 is a great economy player;

but the e270 is the ultimate luxury toy.

Everyone who sees my e270 is smitten.

UPDATE July 6th -

Sandisk says it is _now_ able to ship me a replacement

"e270 to USB" cable, so give them credit for that.

Also, according to internet rumor, Griffin makes an e270-compatible wall-wart (AC Power) solution.

Finally, no solution is available yet to the "cannot play-tracks-in-album-order" issue,

a problem I failed to mention above.

This might drive you seriously insane when you play Mozart or Beethoven on the thing when the IV movement isn't played fourth.

Or, when an mp3 audio book can't be played

in chapter order!

We're waiting every day for the firmware update from Sandisk that fixes this track ordering bug.

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I was hesitating on buying the iPod Nano because I'm the guy who usually bought something and the next week something newer and better came out. I think this time I finally got it right. The e270 is sexy. I've seen the Creative Zens get cosmetic scratches within minutes of pulling it out of the box, this tiny e270 looks great, appears durable, and I'm confident it will survive my abuse. Dragging and dropping music is a cinch, the iPod and Zen software my friends use took some getting used to...and the out of the box conversion software to put videos and graphics on this baby is just too easy. The variety of accepted formats wasn't impressive, but it took my mp3s and wmas with no problem. It converted my jpgs with no issue. There were 5 out of 40 music mpegs had an error during conversion. And a movie in .avi format was broken down into 12 .mov files. I took this with a grain of salt and assume future firmware improvements might fix this. The menu works better for me and I prefer the e270's dial over other mp3 players. Improvements I would like to see would be the ability to put the videos in subfolders without disappearing from the menu, a different style headphones, a freebie screen protector and some way to wear it other than the supplied carry pouch or lanyard. I'm still trying to pick up an FM station, can't determine if the weakness lies with the built in antenna or the AFN stations in Iraq. The flash memory was the basis for this buy, the drive players were too bulky and sensitive to my treatment. The added feature of a micro SD slot is probably excessive, but not unwelcome. I am VERY happy with this purchase. Now how about making some accessories for this thing!?

Read Best Reviews of SanDisk Sansa e270 6 GB MP3 Player with SD Expansion Slot (Black) Here

My e270 has been a mixture of the enjoyable and the frustrating...with a few changes this little gadget could be simply outstanding. Instead, the Sansa e200 series falls short of what it should be, but remains a good value for those with the technical savvy and patience to put up with it.

For crying out loud, SanDisk, when are you going to support folders, or creating play lists on the fly? The e200 will organize your music for you, IF your tags are in order. You can create a "go list" list on the fly, but that's it. Your music (MP3, WMA or WAV only) can be browsed by artist, song title, album, genre and a "go list". There is another category, "my top rated", but if you rate your songs with the Sansa, it'll freeze... how much simpler life with the Sansa would be if there was support for folders or multiple play list creation.

The list of EQ settings that the player ships with are also limiting...there is a custom EQ with the latest firmware, but it isn't as robust as the EQ choices on my older e140, and some users report that it's buggy. So far, I haven't had that problem. The sound is good, with good earphones. The earphones the e200 comes with have been relegated to under the pillow use by me...the ones I got with the old e140 were much better, and the Koss KSC75 clip-on's better yet.

Video? Yep, but the MOV QuickTime format is as bloated as a beached whale. The bundled media converter will chop your video in to 10 minute chunks with iffy sound and in widescreen format. All this can be changed (except the MOV format) with some file editing, but why should a user have to dig through the anythingbutIpod forums to find this out? What could have been an outstanding feature with MP4 support is merely a novelty.

Voice recording? Yes, in WAV format. You can record FM on the fly, (when is a Sansa player going to have AM support, anyway?) and there are photos with a slideshow function via the media converter.

Left out of the package as of the 01.02.15A firmwareAn alarm function and a sleep timer.

The Sansa is fine with me from a control standpoint. The voice record button is placed where you can hit it by accident, the scroll wheel should be progressive, and the buttons around the wheel are hard to find with my fat fingers, but for something this size it's all livable. Battery life is as advertised, but you are a slave to your USB port unless you buy an aftermarket adapter. Don't lose the cable, its Sansa only.

I enjoy my e270; the six gigs of storage, plus the expansion possible via micro SD are plenty for my use. A lot of the niggling problems I've encountered have been solved with the use of a good MP3 tag editor (MediaMonkey is great for this) and some searching through Sansa forums.

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I have been using the 270 (6 GB version) for about 3 weeks now, and largely agree with the positive comments on this site. Sandisk just released a v. 1.01.11 update for the e200 series, so be sure that you go to the Sandisk website and download the updater (all updates after this version will be installed automatically when you sync).

I thought about getting one of the harddisk based players which offer up to 60 GB of space, but they seem to have high rates of problems and disk crashes -not suprising given the workout these tiny devices are subject to. So I 'settled' for the 6 GB version. That is a huge amount of music, certainly more than I can listen to at a single sitting. I have the equivalent about 68 of my library disks on right now, say, about 40 hours of music PLUS another 20-30 hours of old time radio shows. So a big flash memory drive is the way to go, and 8 gigs would be more than enough for almost anyone. Remember that the e200 series all accept microSD memory chips. Currently the 1GB microSD is going for about $US 55 in local retailers, less online. I expect that a 2 GB chip will be releases shortly at around $US 100. IMHO, only college students that are skipping all of their classes would have the time to fully use more than 8 GB of storage.

The removable battery is a Very Good Thing. All you need is a SMALL phillips electronics type screwdriver to remove the four tiny screws in the back and the battery removes as easily as a cell phone battery. I'm puzzled by the reviewer who complained that he left scratches when he "pried" it open -no prying is necessary -the case back splits easily from the front. Be sure to put the screws in a safe place (I use a little plastic bag), because they can easily get lost. Which leads me to the next point:

The firmware is improving, but is not all the way there. One of the annoying problems that occasionally reported (and I experienced) is a hard crash and lockup -this happened to me -and the solution is fairly easy, just pull the battery and replace it after 10 seconds (not something you can do on an iPod). I am guessing it's some kind of operating system programming issue that can be easily fixed in a future update. If and when that happens, I'd give the e200 series an upgrade to 5 stars.

Note that the Sansa relies on the internal .mp3 file tags for artist/album/track information. This means that if you have music that was converted to .mp3 with bad tags, they'll have to be fixed for things to be identified and ordered correctly. I had that problem as I used early versions of RealPlayer, which apparently didn't write tags into the .mp3 files correctly until recently. It took about an hour to rewrite the bad tags with a tagging program that used the internet music info database to retag, after which things worked fine. As noted in other posts, the Sansa e200's conversion codecs for video yield a fairly a large set of quicktime files a full length video can take up from 1.25 1.5 Gigs of space. Given that the screen resolution is very small, this needs improvement. However, it actually DOES do video and movies, and they are actually watchable with decent sound. It would also be nice if SanDisk would support some other common formats besides .mp3 and .wma.

Given that the e200 series has been out less than a year, it seems likely that all of these issues will be addressed shortly.

The best part is that it's not an iPod, and I'm not yoked to Apple's iTunes service if I want to buy content from a competitor. With the e200 series' ability to use microSD chips, I'm guessing that Sandisk hopes to sell movies and other content on micro SD chips at retail in the future. But it also opens up the possibility of easy transfer of home video as many camcorders can store SD format as well and with an SD reader and a computer it is easy to transfer all kinds of content.

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I'd have preferred to be able to give 4.75 stars rather than 4 or 5. The reason for this is the placement of the RECORD button. I have made more than a couple inadvertant recordings simply as a result of handling the unit. Other than that, I like the fit and feel of the thing. I don't know that the micro-SD slot contributes much to the user -I think it was meant rather to contribute to SanDisk (manufacturers of same, not coincidentally). I like that the unit will "keep track" of your progress through a long track (I like to use my Sansa for listening to audiobooks, the files of which can be quite long and finding one's place manually can be a rank tedium). The screen is quite nicedisproportionately large for so small a unit. Finally: battery life for mine on the first two charges was between 20 and 22 hours. Not bad at all.

Samsung YP-U3JQP 2GB USB Digital Audio player with FM Radio (Pink)

• 2 GB digital audio player with FM Radio and Voice Recording
• Retractable USB 2.0 connector for direct interface with PC--no cables, cords or docks necessary
• Li-Polymer Battery provides up to 15 hours of playback when fully charged
• Supports MP3, WMA, OGG, and WMA-DRM10 audio file formats
• Use as a Flash Storage Device for transferring files

Note: This YP U3 will NOT work as a USB Drive. it used to work, then Samsung & Microsoft Teamed up to update the firmwire in this device, it can NOT be used as a usb drive now. and it ONLY work on windows XP (not even 2000), no linux, no mac.

And you will need Admin privilege to install the driver. (so if you want to transfer file between computer, this thing won't work).

I am IT engineer so I did a lot research on this and managed to update the firm ware. But it is such a hassle. I won't buy this thing if I know in advance it won't work as a usb drive.

I repeat, It will NOT work as a usual usb drive. you will have to install drivers on the computer. The description in Amazon in not accurate.

if you have a firm ware early than 1.07, it might work. most of them are 1.11 now.

Hope this will save you some money and time.

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You better be computer savy if you buy this MP3 player or you may not get it to work on your computer. It is not a plug and play device, at least not on my laptop (Acer, Windows XP SP2) The computer would not recognize the device, no drivers were available on the Samsung website and an email to customer service had me try things I had already tried on my own with no success. A friend and I spent several hours using Google and finally found a fix. From what I read on the internet I'm not alone, there are a lot of customers who purchased the same model who were having some of the same problems. Now that it works with my computer and I'm able to transfer music it's a nice, compact little unit. The sound seems to be just fine and it's easy to use. Just be prepared to do some research if it doesn't work on your computer.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung YP-U3JQP 2GB USB Digital Audio player with FM Radio (Pink) Here

This is a sharp little device (I have it in black), it's easy to set up and use and 2gb is a lot of space to fill.

Several people have made note of the "sensitive touch-pad", and this WOULD be a real concern, but Samsung has either fixed it, or the previous reviewers didn't notice that there is a "hold" switch that disables the touch-pad. This is a great feature, because without that switch the touch-pad would be really annoying. And, even though I have large fingers I can still easily maneuver the volume and search controls.

The sound is excellent. Even as I'm writing this review I'm hearing things in a song I've never heard before...maybe it's just that I'm hearing it through headphones...but the music sounds great.

My only knock on this product is that the USB plug appears to be an accident waiting to happen. Once it "pops" out, there's no cover or guard to protect it.

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i was going to get an ipod shuffle but i am so glad that i got this!! it holds a lot of songs, and has a very clear screen so you can see what you are listing to. you even have a menu and can pick the songs that you want to listen to at the time instead on not knowing what is playing like the ipod shuffle. i really like how you plug it right into the computer, it was so easy for me to do it! i just had to drag the songs over and it went on! my only complaint is when you are listing to the song and go on the menu to find a different song or doing something else while listing to the music there is a beep. i really like it how there is a "hold" switch so when u put it in my jeans pocket or turn it off the buttons cant be pressed. that is really nice. but the pink doesn't look like it does in the picture but it is still pretty. the radio works great, and the voice recorder is fun! this would make a really great gift, it was really fast shipping and is super, and easy to use. you should really buy this item over the ipod shuffle, it is so much better.

Age Recommended10+

ENJOY!!!

This product works great. Plugs directly into your computer. Software works well. 26 albums on a device the size of a pack of gum is great. Samsung needs to get compatible with Audible and other digital book services, however.

Sylvania 6240VE 4-Head VCR with Remote and Front AV Input (Audio/Video Input)

Got my 1st VCR in 1979. JVC. $2000. Tapes were about $20 then. I've gone thru many machines. Don't really recall having any major problems with Sylvania in the past.

I don't know where they dug this thing up. This thing is really bad. It's monaural. The unit only weighs about 2 lbs. Really flimsy. I was a sucker and had to send two of them back. First one, the sound went bad. The second one the tracking failed. Wasted $20 shipping them back.

Look at the price. That in itself should be a warning. Let them keep it for a bulky doorstop.

Got this as a replacement for yet another failed VHS machine. All of them are throw-away electronics now. The problem is that they're getting harder and harder to find so that you can watch your old tapes. Planned obsolescence. Soon it'll be Blu-ray or nothing and your DVD's will be outdated too.

Buy Sylvania 6240VE 4-Head VCR with Remote and Front AV Input (Audio/Video Input) Now

I BOUGHT THIS VCR FROM A COMPANY IN CALIFORNIA AND HAD PROBLEMS WITH IT. THEY SENT ANOTHER AND THAT HAD PROBLEMS. THE THIRD ONE WAS BROKEN AND THEY REFUSED TO EXCANGE IT. I EVEN WENT TO A GOV. AGENCY TO GET HELP BUT THIS COMPANY REFUSED TO EXCHANGED THEIR BROKEN ITEM. I WOULD AVOID DOING ANY BUSINESS WITH THEM IN THE FUTURE. THEY JUST DON'T CARE ABOUT THE CONSUMER. THEY GET 10 NEGATIVE STARS FOR ALL THE HELP THAT THEY WERE.

Read Best Reviews of Sylvania 6240VE 4-Head VCR with Remote and Front AV Input (Audio/Video Input) Here

got this to replace my moms old unit that died...great price and works fine. nothing like that vcr (lol) so mom says

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Sanyo Icr-xps01m Icr-xps01m Xacti Sound Recorder

I've had the Xacti ICR-XPS01M for a week and have used it to record (3) live classical music events. Too bad that Amazon's reviews only allow (5) stars. The Xacti deserves at least (10)!

The tiny mics in the Sanyo have surprisingly low noise considering their small diaphragm size. They're also pretty clean with no obvious distortion and/or frequency anomalies. So far, all of my Xacti recordings have been at the PCM (WAV) setting (44.1kHz/16 bit). With a 8GB Kingston Grade-4 micro SD card, the unit will record for 12.5 hours (WAV)or 136 hours (MP-3). Files are limited to 2GB each (about 3 hours) which is a limitation of the card file format used. The supplied 2GB memory card will store 3 hours of high quality WAV audio or 36 hours of MP-3 (128 kbps) audio.

Sound via the (2) built-in omni mics is clear with little harmonic distortion. The internal mics' frequency response rolls off below 60 Hz and, although Sanyo specs. the device at 20kHz, the sound seems to be slightly "dull" indicating no excess high-frequency response. I expect to make some actual response measurements using the external input and output jacks to evaluate the recorder independently of its microphones. Sanyo rates the frequency response using the external input as 40 to 21kHz for WAV recordng and 40 to 15kHz for MP-3 (128kbps).

The back lit (red) LCD screen is easy to read as long as you're not "farsighted", and the level meters (-45 dB to "0" db) are fast responding and have a peak indicator and a bright overload LED so it's easy to set levels. There are two mic coarse-gain ranges ("high" and "low" with a 30 dB gain increase using "high". Within each range there are 30 gain steps available. The "high" range is very sensitive and can easily pick up a normal conversation several feet away. I recorded a small classical chamber ensemble at a distance of 10 feet and used the "low" mic gain range and a gain setting of 26 for a recording that peaked at approximately -6dB. In addition, there are (3) gain ranges available for the external (3.5 mm stereo) line input.

I had absolutely no problems reading the recorder's memory and transferring files to either a Windows XP machine or several Macintoshs running OS-X 10.4.11 through 10.6.2. Sanyo does include a special 12 inch long micro USB cable for computer interfacing. The recorder is recharged via the USB port. No external power supply is provided, and the unit will fully recharge in about 3 hours, providing enough energy for at least 14 hours of WAV recording (23 hours if you turn the display off). The battery is removable and is easily replaced so anyone needing more than 12 hours of recording can always carry a spare.

No audio editing software is supplied with the Xacti, but I had no problem at all importing the WAV files into "Logic Studio", "Pro Tools", "Garage Band" and/or "Audacity" for editing and normalization before burning them to CD.

At its 44.1kHz/16 bit setting using the built-in mics, the Xacti is capable of making recordings that are comparable to a Tascam DR-100, which is a lot larger and costs three times as much. The DR-100, will, of course, record at 96K/24 bits, but that high resolution is really only needed when using an external input source, not the Tascam's built-in mics.

Other thoughts: The Xacti is far more than "just" a great digital audio recorder. It includes a FM receiver (you can easily record FM broadcasts) and is also a basic MP-3 player. The FM receiver is strictly "analog" (It does not receive HD FM) and has only moderate sensitivity but sounds quite good given a strong station. The earphone cable doubles as the FM antenna so cable placement is critical to receiving a clean signal.

The unit is supplied with a set of earbud phones. They sound OK but are relatively large and have a rough textured outer edge, so are, by far, the most uncomfortable of the dozens of earbuds I've tried over the years. Plug in a good set of real headphones (Sony 7509's work well) to really hear what this device is capable of. There is also a tiny speaker mounted to the back surface of the Sanyo. It's really only usable to determine if you've actually recorded something, or to play back voice recordings. As noted in another review, Sanyo does make a docking & charging station that contains (4) small speakers. As of this date, the docking station does not seem to be available for sale in the US.

The Xacti is a well-finished, precision device and looks very elegant. Its elegant design includes a polished metal edge, which looks great, but can make the device seem slippery and easy to drop. The back of the recorder does have a slot and pin arrangement clearly designed to attach a wrist strap like those supplied with just about every small digital camera, but Sanyo does not supply a strap or offer one as an option. I found a small camera strap the fits and works perfectly at Amazon.com for a few dollars and installed it right away.

Also, so far, Sanyo does not supply a case for the recorder. I found the ESME recorder case sold on Amazon by Senyx to be a perfect fit for the Xacti recorder. The ESME case is made from heavy "Cordura nylon" fabric and will hold the Sanyo plus a set of earbuds and a few extra micro SD cards. Its soft lining protects the recorder from scratches and minor shocks. This is the case that Sanyo should have supplied with the recorder.

Anyway, for now I'm VERY impressed with this device. Where else can one find a good quality stereo digital audio recorder with a built-in, 5-band graphic equalizer, (2) quite decent microphones, a FM radio receiver and a tiny MP-3 player for just over a hundred bucks and sized so two of them can easily fit in a shirt pocket?

The recorder is supplied with a clearly written, detailed manual (180 pages) which I'd strongly advise reading before trying to use the recorder. There are so many user set functions that it takes (6) pages just to graphically show the user menu structure. Sanyo wisely supplied the manual in a paper, hard-copy form as well as a PDF on the supplied 2GB micro SD card. Since the paper manual does not open to a "flat" configuration (It's like a paperback book), it's MUCH easier to use the on-screen PDF manual when learning how to perform some operation. The first thing one should do is to copy the PDF manual to your computer because it will be lost if you perform a "format" operation on the memory card.

IMHO, Sanyo has hit a "bases-loaded homerun" with this one. It's a real gem!

********** (10-stars)

This is one sweet unit. Slicker than all get out. I decided to trade in my Boss Micro BR for this unit because I found myself wanting to do simple stereo microphone recordings and with the Micro BR that meant attaching an outboard microphone (the internal one is mono) and then choosing several items from the menu system to make a simple recording. Don't get me wrong, the Boss is a great unit, but just not a great fit for my applications. So, leaving the Micro BR behind I decided to pick up the Sanyo Xacti ICR-XPS01M.

First could they make the name LESS memorable? Nothing wrong with Xacti except that Sanyo has many, many products in the Xacti line most of them video camcorders. It needs a name that doesn't sound like a license plate number.

Aside from the name, this unit is really fantastic. I, like most people, pondered the merrits of this as compared to a few competitors, namely the Zoom H2, H1, an Alesis unit, a Yamaha, an Olympus, Tascam and a few others. My brother just got a Zoom H2 and was bragging to me about all the great recordings he was making. I almost went the Zoom H2 route until I came across the Xacti. After reading several reviews I decided to go with the Sanyo. I'm so glad I did.

For my first project I recorded a Steinway M grand piano for a client. Recording a grand piano is one of the most difficult types of recordings you can ever make. This unit did a wonderful job without even breaking a sweat. Now, I have a full digital recording studio with a Hard Disk DAW and thousands of dollars worth of expensive studio microphones. I have a pair of high end condensers that I use for piano all the time. They cost $600 each. I'm not saying that this Sanyo compares to that set up, but for the difference in portablility and cost I was absolutely blown away. The sound was totally natural, not hyped, not artificial in any way. The piano sounded simply stunning. Beautiful stereo image, all in all a wonderful and super easy recording session. Just a tip I went to the music store and bought a spring clip type microphone holder, the kind that sort of looks like a chip clip, but is made to hold a handheld type microphone. It cost me $5. With the jaws of the clip spread wide it makes a perfect holder for the Xacti and the unit will then fit on any mic stand.

Next project, I wanted to record my daughters conversation with me while we were riding in the front seat of my car. I put the Xacti on a laniard, hung it around my neck, used the "scene" settings and set it to "Lecture". It captured every word of the conversation flawlessly, in spite of car noise, etc. When I listend back over the car stereo I found myself checking my signal light to make sure it wasn't on, because the recording of our conversation picked up when I used the turn signal so realistically.

The Sanyo Xacti ICR-XPS01M is a fantastic unit. Professional quality recordings for sure. My wish list would only be to add some type of stand mount, but my $5 solution works great and allows me to position it anywhere.

I will be doing a side by side comparison with my brothers Zoom H2 soon to see how they compare, my feelings are that the Zoom will be a little different sounding, but not better or worse, just different. We'll see. If the Sanyo comes out way better my brother's going to be mad!!!!

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First of all, the Sanyo Exacti is mislabeled above. It's far more than a "voice recorder." I was sent this latest piece of consumer technology, perhaps the smallest and lightest high-end personal digital recorder ever, to review, but found myself too short on time to give it the thorough and comprehensive analysis it deserves. I sent it back regretfully and only because I sensed it offers a slight learning curve to those of us who are older, in a hurry, not especially at home with all the digital gear coming at us from all directions (I don't even own a smart phone).

Suffice it to say that you can't possibly appreciate how tiny this thing is, how ingenious and intricate the design and construction are, until you have the product in hand. Just as the Canon Elf SD-780 broke all records for incorporating a 13 megapixel camera and HD camcorder in a container the size of a pill-box, Sangean has pulled off a comparable, record-breaking feat with this particular stereo recorder-player-FM receiver. Moreover, it's inarguably attention-getting in its form factor, flexibility, and functionality. Originally pegged to go on the market at a significantly higher price, the release of the Zoom H-1 no doubt forced Sangean to release it at a more competitive price. It definitely is a "contender" in the personal digital audio recorder market, and should be considered seriously--especially by younger audio fans who are quick learners and intuitive about small and intricate technology and by PC users (the company lists it as a PC compatible machine, though in my brief time with the machine, I was able to get a file onto my Mac with little problem).

Comparing it with the Zoom H-1 may not be entirely fair. The Sanyo comes with more attention to style and micro-technology along with the capability of integrating it with an accompanying, form-fitting stereo speaker system. And with its FM receiver, it can be used much like an Apple Nano 5 except as part of a complete system. Store the recorder in its appointed place between the custom-made speakers on your nightstand, and take only the recorder with you for listening to or recording high-quality stereo recordings--compressed MP3s or full-fidelity wave format.

I didn't judge the fidelity of field recordings to be quite as close to CD quality as the Zoom, with its XY adjustable mic pattern. It struck me as closer to a comparably priced Tascam or Edirol--but noticeably smaller. It also has features lacking on many machines. For example, you can speed up playback without altering pitch. Also, it has onboard memory--plenty of it for recording compressed files. And once you've mastered the miniature controls, Sangean has made operation a no-brainer. No need to learn specialized jargon. Simply set it for "voice" to exclude unwanted low and high frequencies, or "music" for full-frequencied sound. And there are similar descriptive categories to choose among for playback equalization. The auto gain control operated flawlessly for me. To listen to the music coming from this weightless micro-device is a stunning experience--whether it's music recorded from a line-in source, the onboard mics, or the FM receiver.

The system is suggestive of a fine piece of jewelry, not something for rough and ready use, though it may be more rugged and durable than it would appear to be. The owner who treats it with respect is likely to be rewarded for years to come.

To see this little gem up close and in action, take a look at the Sanyo site: usdotsanyodotocom. Under Consumer Items, click on "digital recorders," then on Xacti ICR-XPSO1M. Be sure to see it nestled in the complementary speaker system specially made for it.

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I've used this for about 6 months, I'm happy with its features. Good battery life, mp3 recordings sound very good. Added a 8GB MicroSD card and there is a lot of room left still.

Lots of features built-in, mic sensitivity is good, auto and manual level adjust, headphone jack is good for monitoring, 5 band EQ.

Touch controls are good, I guess they're there so that you don't add extra noise to your recording.

The red backlit LCD is cool looking and easy to read at all times, even outside.

I'd recommend this to anyone who wants an ultra slim recorder, its almost too small! I'm glad I haven't lost it yet...

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I got the Xacti ICR-XPS01 at a brick and mortar store for more than selling at Amazon now. Even at that price it was a great little recorder. I use it for DSLR audio rather than the built in audio of the camera.

Pro

-Good battery life

-Record as well as play EQ

-Clear sound recording with good channel separation

-UI with light up buttons works great in the dark

-Monitoring via headphones while recording

-Charges via USB while you copy files to Mac

-Cheap

Con

-No XLR jacks

-No tripod mount built in

-A bit cheap and fragile feeling (not sure it would survive a drop)

I put velcro on the back and mount it to my DSLR video rig that way.

RPS 3.5 Mini to Male PC, 16" Straight Flash Sync Cord #RS-8518 - (Equivalent of Pocket Wizard PC1 C

unless you want to tape the pc end to your flash and camera do not buy. there is not a solid connection that actually stays connected. got them and used on a shoot and was glad i had a back up plan!

I have used this short cord between a Radio slave and my Alienbee about ten times without a single issue. I like using this over the original 20' cord.

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Impecca MP-1825-BK 1.8" Digital Media Player 2GB - Black

• Large 1.8-inch 260k full-color display
• 2GB Built-in memory
• Plays most popular music files such as MP3, WAV, and WMA files
• Plays video formats (AMV) & includes video converter
• JPEG photo viewer

This is about as basic as it gets. Looks Apple-ish, but by no means does it come close. Probably fair deal for the money but don't expect a whole lot. Battery runs down after 3 4 hours max. Screen is low-res.

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This Mp3 player was very good, That is until about a month after purchase and use the speaker cracked the headphone jack went screwy the screen started acting funny. I do not recommend this.

Olympus 145059 Olympus ME30W 2 Channel Microphone Kit

I bought these to record live pipe organ performances. The pipe organ has a gigantic frequency range, but these little microphones record the sound perfectly. When I listen to recordings made through these microphones and the Olympus LS-10 digital recorder, the pipe organ sounds exactly the same as hearing it live...and I should know, I've been playing that pipe organ every week for five years!

Expensive, but worth every penny.

I am a paranormal investigator and bought these mikes to use in my investigations to catch EVP's. These mikes go down to 20 hertz in sensitivity and also up to 20K hertz. Some EVPs have been recorded as low as 20 Hz, so I did not want to miss any of those. My voice recorder internal mikes only go down to 50 Hz, hence why I bought these. After using them on their first investigation, I was very impressed! The sound levels were so much clearer, louder, and the low frequency sound heard was amazing! I was listening through a pair of headphones real time while I was recording. I definitely recommend this set of microphones for any sound amplification use you might have.

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Panasonic DMRE50S DVD Player/Recorder , Silver

• Records DVD-R, DVD-RAM for best of both worlds; plays DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, CD-R, CD-RW, and MP3-CD
• Offers one-touch record, chasing playback (watching a recording in progress from the beginning)
• Progressive-scan video output for seamless, flicker-free picture on high-definition and HD-ready televisions
• Time Slip lets you replay a scene recorded earlier from a show in progress without disrupting the recording
• On-disc video editing lets you tighten up or rearrange your home movies

I purchased my panasonic dvd recorder in February of 2003. For the most part the system has worked extremely well. You do need to test and make sure the "finalized" dvd-r discs will be read by the dvd player you wish to play them on.

As far as discs, the quality and experience has varied. I have had mediocre results with Imation, Memorex. I have had excellent results from Verbatim. Most of my recordings have been on the DVD-R, but I also record on DVD-RAM, edit and copy onto the DVD-R discs(because they are less expensive).

The only issue I have had, if you begin to record, and stop recording quickly (15-30 seconds), the disc sometimes becomes unusable. An easy solution to this problem is it let the recorder continue recording for a minute or two, then stop the recording and the erase it.

All in all, this unit has exceeded my expectations. It has allowed me to copy many programs and films to dvd.

One other recommendation, I also purchased the Panasonic DVD player (Less than $100) that had a rebate ($30) that will play DVD-R and DVD-Ram. So anything I record can be played on the player and watched, or (are you ready) can be played on the player and recorded on the recorder, for mixing dvd's or editing and then copying the dvd-ram recording to the less expensive dvd-r discs.

And, I have sucessfully been able to keep my dvd-r cost down to about $1.50 each, and the dvd-r to just above $4.00 each.

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This DVD recorder makes 2 hour recordings on DVD-R that I cannot distinguish from a live satellite tv broadcast. The unit was able to use one dollar generic brand DVD-Rs disc. It was possible to playback both on my computer DVD drive and on other home DVD players The unit is compact and quiet. There are three line-in inputs (RCA and S-video). A minor negative is the lack of a firewire connection for connecting a miniDV camcorder. I have not tested the DVD RAM feature that allows re-using the DVD RAM disc repeatedly. It comes with one free DVD RAM disc; these cost about Five dollars each. Set up is quick and straightforward. The remote is comlicated but does everything it's supposed to do. There is a "flexible record" (FR) feature that use the complete space available on the disc so that recording are of maximum quality. The unit is able to ecord up to 6 hours onto a single 4.7 GB DVD-R but the instuctions say that quality deteriorates noticeably if you go much over the two hour limit. Recordings that I have made in the 2 hour range looked great, better than anything I've seen from a VCR, but not as perfect as a store bought DVD. The source material affects the appearance: a broadcast of a grainy, faded movie looks grainy and faded on the recording whereas newer material looked very good.

I bought this from Amazon. The item was in my PO box four days after I ordered it. The price was the lowest I saw from a major source. Shipping was free and the price came to nearly one hundred fifty less than I would have paid had I walked into C*rcuit C*ty to buy the exact same thing. A minor shipping negative: Amazon sent this expensive item thorugh the mail in it's own box which obviously identifies it as an expensive piece of electonic equipment.

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I have been watching the market for a DVD recorder for a couple of years. I'am really glad that I waited for this model (DMR-50). You will not have a problem with this unit if you will read and re-read as necessary the owners manuel. The other thing is DO NOT USE CHEAP DISCS. I've been using Ritek 1X DVD-R blanks and have not had that first problem with recording or playback on anything that is DVD-R compatable. The picture quality is good if not great at all recording speeds. The Sound is the same and agree with all the other reviewers. I wish we could record in surround sound , but I guess they are saving that for a later model. I Play back through a surround system that takes the sterio signal and makes it 4 channel and it is close to the surround effect. All and all I'am impressed with this unit and recomend it highly. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope it helps you to decide if this is for you.

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I bought the Panasonic DMR-E50S to transfer my old VHS tapes to DVD and I am absolutely thrilled with this unit! While the instructions are somewhat difficult to get through, the results are amazing! Using XP speed and copying one of my VHS-C cartridges to DVD-R (Memorex, by the way), the copy was wonderful! I also like the added feature of being able to put titles on each segment of a recording, that is pretty neat.

Amazon.com has a very good price. I paid the $12.00 s/h because I wanted to get the unit fast, even though I could have had free s/h. I ordered it on a Monday, and had it at my house that Thursday! The only problem I had was when I hooked up a newer DVD/VHS player to it and tried to copy my old tapes. I believe because of copyright issues with the DVD/VHS unit, it couldn't be done, which doesn't make any sense, since they are MY recordings! However, when I hooked up an older VHS model, I didn't have any problems. All in all, I am extremely happy with this product. Can't wait to try out all other cool editing features.

As a new comer to the world of DVD I was a little sceptical about DVD recorders. No more.

This piece of kit has just blown me away! Maybe I'm easily pleased but it just makes Video recorders utterly obsolete. No more dodgy recordings,no more accidental erasures, no more frantically searching for a space on the tape, no more anything you have to put up with using a VHS recorder.

Now, I'll come down to earth for a while and explain why it's so good and be a little more objective about some of the features.

This recorder uses DVD RAM and DVD R discs. Uh? Well DVD RAM discs you can record over and over (approx 100,000 times!!!) and DVD R are record only. Obviously the RAM's are more expensive. However a RAM disc comes with the recorder and I still haven't needed to buy another yet! Well that's just me. You can get 4.7 gig discs (supplied) or 9.7 gig discs.

Still with me?

The Panasonic can record on 4 different resolutions. So this is where the reality comes in. XP, SP, LP and EP. Now the lower the resolution (EP is lowest) the less memory is used and the more you can fit on a disc. So that basically means more recording time. However, the lower the resolution the inferior the picture. And I've got to say that LP and SP are not really watchable for me personally. Others may find it O.K.but the quality resembles a really coarse video streamed off the internet, you know the kind of thing? So generally I don't use these, but SP and especially XP are superb. So, a 4.7 gig disc will give you 1 hours recording on XP, 2 hours on SP, 4 hours on LP and 6 hours on EP. Bored yet?

So the bigger the RAM disc the more you can record at high resolutions. Phew! That's that over with.

Now there is this Time Slip feature. I can't really see the point of this but it's kinda cool. You can watch something while it's being recorded. WOW. What I mean is that you can sort of rewind the disc to an earlier record time and watch it while the programme is still being recorded. (This is sounding like Quantum physics now) Anyway, if that floats your boat then all well and good. But for me, the really sweet feature is the ability to watch a previously recorded programme while recording a completely different one. Example: Friday night you record ER because you're going out. Saturday night you decide to watch the episode of ER you recorded but then realise that there is something on NOW that you really must watch. Simple. Start recording the programme you wanted to watch NOW and then enter the user friendly menu system, select the recorded ER episode and press play. It plays and records at the same time. Sweeeeeeeet!!! It's that easy and just brilliant.

There's loads more stuff in ther also like, partial erase, moving recorded programmes around, editing etc. etc. Great for people who like editing their own videos.

I know I must sound like a Panasonic PR bod but really, I'm just a humble TV watcher with basic knowledge of audio visual stuff. If i can use this thing then, seriously, anyone can. It's an absolute breeze and for the price (internet [$$$]?)real value for money.

It's the future, buy it.

Aqua 5500 ( Blue ) 18 MP Dual Screen Waterproof Digital Camera

Shipping was fast & secure within days of ordering camera. The camera is easy to use takes clear crisp pictures that have great detail even under low lighting. Have not used it underwater but have used it in the pouring rain(more like a deluge). The camera wiped clean and worked like a charm the next time I went to use it. The camera is durable can handle being dropped I would not recommend it. But it has happened to me to my surprise it worked like nothing happened.

I would highly recommend this camera. I am a fan of SVP because my ir camera is that brand. So I knew the clarity of the pictures was a given. With what I do clarity definition matters. This is by far the best personal digital camera I have had to date. Its my first SVP camera that has not been tweaked.

I bought this camera to give as Christmas presents, they love it! It's a nice portable and small camera with fine quality. Great price for gifts.

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Bought this camera for a small trip, I didn't want to spend too much on cameras. It turned out it's a pretty decent camera for the price I paid. The image quality isn't the best, but it's a cheap camera anyway.

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I purchased this camera on cyber monday for a pretty reasonable price and we were blown away by the pictures it took considering it's a pretty inexpensive point and shoot camera. We were able to go snorkeling in Mexico and the clarity of some of the pictures were great but it did at times have troubles focusing and it couldn't take the best pictures in the distance but for taking pictures of the pretty fish underwater.. that's all I needed it for.

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I am a professional photographer so I never expected too much from these camera's but that being said They are really not worth the 55$ each I paid for them.

The camera does as it says, it seems to be waterproof and does take pictures from both screens but there is a HORRIBLE DELAY from the time that you press the shutter button to when the picture is actually taken. There is almost 3 seconds in the delay. I purchased 3 of these cameras for Christmas Presents this year, 2 for the kids and 1 for my husband who is an avid hunter.

For the kids the camera would be ok. As long as their friends have a little paitents and hold the smile for 3-5 seconds after the shutter button is pressed.

My husband took it out hunting early in the morning when it was raining. The water didn't damage the camera at all, but the delay in the shutter was too much to catch wildlife in action.

PICTURE QUALITY is NOT AT ALL what other 18MP camera's generally produce. The shots are blury, grainy, too dark, or over exposed. No light meter I have in my collection seemed to help the problem. Used in my studio by the kids to "test the camera's out" we found it extremely hard to get even a few quality photos.

Element 2GB MP3 Player w/ Video GC-922 - Pink

• LCD Display with 7 Backlight Options
• Voice Recorder Included
• Supports MP3, WMA, WMV and WAV formats
• Built-In Speaker
• FM Radio Included

This is one of the worst products I've bought in a long time. Maybe I just got a lemon, but how incredibly frustrating. The buttons don't do what they're supposed to according to the manual. The EQ button turns down the volume. The DOWN button increases the volume. The M button is pause/play. Every other button does some function different than the manual states that it should. This makes it REALLY difficult to use this player. Once I put some music on there, I can't get back to the main menu. There are supposed to be other functions, like video and photo viewing, as well as system settings, but I can't get there anymore.

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I ordered this item in pink and when i recieved it the mp3 player was blue... Altho im very dissapointed in the face tht it came to me in the wrong color overall the product was good.. easy to use,, good sound,, ect

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I brought two of these one for my bf and the other for me. we are happy with it. love the hold button because the pad is very senstive. downloading is easy can put music in folders and what not.

Panasonic HDC-TM60 Camcorder (Black)

I had this camera for only a few months but sold it and got a higher-end one because I needed a higher-powered lens for the type of videos that I shoot. But I can say that it was a very solid entry-level HD camcorder, especially if you can find it on sale.

The color accuracy is excellent in the videos. The video sharpness is competitive to other camcorders. You wouldn't confuse it for a higher-end camcorder but if you consider what it's price is, you will not be dissappointed either. The factory-supplied battery gets pretty decent life. Better than most factory-supplied batteries. And the on-board 16GB flash memory is also a step above what most other brands offer at this price-point. It's good for about 2 hours of HD filming in the highest setting.

The image stabilization is excellent on this camcorder. And also it has something that not a lot of other entry-level HD camcorders have and that is a Automatic Scene Adjust (or intelligent Auto as Panasonic calls it) which will automatically adjust the camera's settings to correspond to the conditions in which you are filming. The menu system on this camcorder is also very easy to use.

I really don't think the camera function on this camcorder is anything special. It gets the job done but it falls a little short in that regard compared to the Canon with respect to image quality.

I can't speak to the supplied software because I use Final Cut Express to edit my videos. But overall, this is an excellent choice for entry-level HD camcorders.

I bought a HDC-TM55K 6 months ago. A great camera. Unfortunately, my sun dropped it into the pool. So I went to buy another one, and I found the TM60K. With double the memory, wow what a great camera. The pictures are so vivid and great colors. I difinitly recomend this camer, if you are doing a little more than just making movies with your phone.

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I have owned the Panasonic HDC-TM60 for over a year now and have recorded several great quality videos when recording in good light or even an overcast cloudy day. When I record in a low light environment though, it is a much different story. The video becomes more and more grainy the darker the setting you record in.

The 35x intelligent zoom is very cool. Zooms way further than any other camcorder that I have owned and still has remarkable visual clarity. The optical image stabilizer is excellent. Very steady clean video from this camera.

I'm not that big on audio quality but in the line of work that I do, I notice wind in my recordings often because it is blowing at over 30 to 70 mph. With this camera the wind was an issue, but I assume it would be with any camcorder without aftermarket audio equipped. It wasn't near as bad though as my cheaper SD Sony camcorder that in any wind over 10 mph can't really gather any audio quality due to the blasting wind sounds.

It is a relatively small and light camcorder that can be easily handled and operated. I have noticed that after a good days work, I get home and go over videos shot that day and find sometimes a very lengthy clip due to closing the viewfinder without stopping the recording. The camera does not power off or even stop recording if you just shut the LCD screen.

Overall, it meets a pretty good percentage of what I need it for. The software supplied with it is good and even though I'm not big on still pictures it does pretty descent (unless compared to a DSLR). I have a YouTube account under the same name that is on here (holytornado84) and I have some videos I will suggest to watch if you want to get a better grip of the capabilities of this camcorder. First go to my YouTube page and select the videos option at the top somewhere. Then watch "Paradise Don" for the great visual qualities of this camcorder. Be sure to put the resolution at the bottom right all the way up and skim through the boring parts. Now for a good low light example of the same camcorder, (trust me it looks that much different in low light) go to "Mesocepting in Tushka Oklahoma" and watch it. There are some focus issues in this video as well, but it is because it was on auto focus and zoomed in about 1/4 of the way in the crazy environment it was in. I feel these two videos should easily some up what I have said here.

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I was pleasently surprised at the quality of the video. I didn't expect to to see this type of clarity from this particular camcorder. The flash card is definately the way to go. it's compact and has no moving parts, unlike an installed hard drive or disk. I found that I could successfully take videos during bright daylight or at night. I would highly recommend this camcorder to anyone interested in purchasing a mid-priced product.

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Great little camera! This is my first camcorder. (It's replacing a 1988 VHS Quasar video camera!) It's user friendly, and is not impossible to master all the settings within a reasonable amount of time. My only complaint is that it did not come with a mini-HDMI cable.

Samsung P3 Palm Theatre Plus 8 GB MP3 Player (Black)

• 3" TFT LCD (16:9 Wide Full Touch Screen)
• Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
• FM Radio and recorder/voice recording/text
• Haptic Reaction Touch Screen Controls
• Built-in Speaker

The P3 is really a great player. For some reason, many people compare it to the iPod Touch, but that doesn't make much sense, considering it's priced to compete better with the iPod NANO.

The P3's screen is made of glass... this means, it is really hard to scratch it, unlike that odd plastic material used in most touchscreen players. The touchscreen itself will seem a bit sticky at first, but after a week or so of having it, you will barely notice this at all. The touchscreen is in most cases very responsive, though the player's UI is notorious for lagging at times. This, though, is something you can easily get used to. There are some silly little widgets, some are handy such as a clock and a calendar, but most seem to be designed for a young child. The background is customizable with images 272x480 pixels for a perfect fit. Also, when you first begin using it, you may notice the battery draining quickly, as the first of three bars will disappear quickly. The meter only stays at full when the battery is very full, i can use this for about 4 days, listening about 2-3 hours a day before i need to charge it.

The screen has some sort of special detection for touch, i believe it's called capacitive sensing, which only responds if it detects a conductor, in other words, the human body. I'm sure it also works with some random special material as well, but for the purposes of the average person, this will only respond to a human body, so you don't have to worry about anything else activating the touchscreen. You may still want to use the Hold button though, as there are volume and a power button on the top of the player.

The screen on this player can play videos at up to 800x600 pixels, which is pretty good for a player of this price. It's no Zune HD, but it sure does look good on the 3 inch screen.

The player body is made of some plastic, but mostly metal. I have heard of these things surviving all kinds of punishment, even have 45 pound weights dropped on them in the gym. The touchscreen and everything still worked in that case, the only problem were cracks and the player being slightly bent of course.

The P3 has all the typical features of a Samsung player, the DSNe, bluetooth, etc. etc. What is really surprising is its support for .flv files, and a flash player for .swf files. Yes, this means you can play flash games and watch flash movies on your P3. It can also be used to pair with a phone as a hands free device via bluetooth.

The only thing i would ever really worry about would be the fact that you can see directly inside of the player, as in you can see all the microchips and whatnot inside of it through the headphone jack. This could lead to dust getting in there, but this is easily solved by either just blowing it or or just leaving headphones in all the time.

In short, this player is really fantastic for 150$, which, again, is the same price as an Nano. You get so much more for almost the same price, it makes me wonder why anyone would ever buy a Nano.

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This was the third mp3 player I purchased after returning the first two. And, it was the only one that had a decent manual. You can easily download music from multiple sources, and the touch screen is fabulous. My tech-expert nephew suggested I read reviews on sites like , etc. and that is where I found the reviews on the Samsung YP-P3. I immediateley ordered one, and have not been disappointed in any way. If any of you want a user friendly music/photo/video player this one is terrific Absolutely NO cons!

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I think this is a great MP3 player for the $$$. I like the ease of use and easy file transfer. I'm a drag & drop guy so I loved that about this player. I remember one review on this player complaining about it not storing other files but I've found it to work just fine for me. Of course i have only added photo's so I can't give a full review on that function. The touch screen works pretty well, not great, and I have to say it's not as good as the apple products. That really is the only knock that I would have on this MP3 player but it's not really a big one. All in all I think I got a great product for the money that I spent.

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This product is amazing. I have had a iPod, Phillips and a Sansa Fuze and this is by far the best in not just sound but as a all around product. I use it not just to play my music but to watch my tv shows and movies. The cell phone link feature is great, when you blasting you tunes and a call comes in you can answer it from the P3. I also ordered the Samsung Bluetooth headphone and they are a great addition to this unit. Sound is superb and the distance you can travel from the P3 is pretty far. My son has a Birthday coming up and this is what he is asking for. Only mistake I made was just getting the 8MB model, I would suggest at least 16 if not 32 as 1,300 songs, 200 pics and a few tv shows can fill it up...lol...

I have no doubt that this is the best player out there in this price range. Definitely recommended.

Hassle free usability for a touchscreen player. I bought a 8GB. You may want to consider atleast the 16GB.

Canon DC410 DVD Camcorder with 41x Optical Zoom

This camera has many flaws that are important to understand before buying. First is a limitation of the DVD in recording length. 30 min is the default with 60 minutes max at the sacrifice of video quality.

Consider that Mini-DV tapes will support 60 min at highest quality.

These 3 inch DVD disks are difficult to handle under perfect conditions. I wanted to use this camera for outdoors events but it would be too easy to get fingerprints on the recording surface to take chances without clean hands and dry conditions. The disks are small and have to be forced onto the spindle without touching the recording surface.

Another limitation is that the least expensive DVD disks are DVD-R write once only which makes it impossible to edit what you shoot. They can't be erased. Scenes deleted so be sure you don't record anything with them you might regret later. It supports DVD-RW Write Many format also but considering how easy it is to mess up the recording surface don't expect them to last forever.

The greatest problem with this device is that the DVD drive is limited to only three brands of disks. This makes the DVD recorder not very well supported for using with the video.

The DVD drive does not support all DVD formats available. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW: YOU MUST USE ONLY DVD-R, DVD-R DL, or DVD-RW FORMATS. Notice it is a MINUS not a plus +. (Amazon.com bundles this with a 3 pack of DVD+RW disks which are not ever going to work with this camera so don't include it like I did.)

To make matters worse you cannot just use any 3 inch DVD-R disks. The camera claims to only support 1-layer Hitachi-Maxwell HG series disks or 2 layer Canon DVD-R DL54 and Verbatim DVD-R DL disks. (Not Sony, which is the brand Amazon.com recommends.)

If you decide to risk it and use an unsupported disk, every time the camera is turned on you will get a dire warning that using this disk is not supported and you run the risk of damaging the camera or end up with poor/no video. I could only find Maxell DVD-R DS and TDK-RW at Rite-Aid. Both will work with the camera but the warnings are enough to make me believe I should try to buy disks it won't complain about. It is very annoying that it doesn't support both and + formats like most dvd recorders to start with. I would suggest that if you want a DVD camcorder, look for one that can use both +/if possible and supports all manufacturers disks.

The camera also lacks a firewire port so you can't use it with a computer to capture the video stream. The model 410 has an AV port and microphone jack. It does not have a USB port. The model 420 USB doesn't support the video just the photo feature and takes the place of the microphone jack.

The last disappointment with this camera is the image stabilization feature is awful. The video becomes so shaky that people will think you have been drinking or you are filming an earthquake. Even on a stable tripod the video was not stable even if focused on inanimate objects.

All the reasons I wanted to get this camera are total disappointments for me. I wish I would have chosen a different camera with better DVD support or one that records to flash memory, and probably not from Canon.

P.S NO software with the camera for editing the video or the photos!

We bought this camcorder to document the lives of our children. So far we've had no trouble. It takes a reasonably clear video and we really like the zoom. I've been a fan of Canon since my old AE-1 in high school so we knew we weren't going to be disappointed. I read the other reviews and wanted to make a clarification: This camcorder (DC410) does NOT have a USB connection to the computer. There's a jack for a microphone and for AV out. The av out can go to a TV or to a computer if you have the right setup but will not connect to the average computer. This didn't really bother me since I never planned on storing terabytes of video on the laptop!

The DC410 is very easy to use if you spend a little time reading the instructions. You might want to get an extra battery, I was lucky since it uses the same one as my digital camera (Rebel XTi).

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Before buying a camcorder (1st camcorder purchase in 17 years) I checked Consumer Reports which listed this model as a Best Buy. Because of the multitude of choices out there, I leaned on them for guidance. But as usual it comes down to Sony and Canon slugging it out with JVC a distand third. For me, quality of results, affordability, ease of use and features are important in the order listed. This camcorder seems to strike a reasonable balance (at least for me) on these features. I was able to become fairly proficient in the operation of this camera within 1 hour and am pleased with image stabilization, audio and video quality. Low light level video is grainy but that is typical of cameras in this price range (

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Sony CCDTRV108 Hi8 Camcorder with 2.5" LCD

I have used many video cameras in my life, but I have never owned one until now. I worked at audio/video stores for several years and saw lots of different formats and brands come and go. Never a fan of the VHS format or its junky little brother, Compact VHS, I knew 8mm was the way to go, at least back then. Nowadays, though, Mini DV seems to be taking over with even smaller cassettes and better picture quality. However, I don't have that kind of money to afford a DV or Digital 8mm camcorder. Yet.

Enter the TRV-108, a nifty little video camera that uses the HiBand 8mm format, superior to 8mm, but certainly not in the ballpark of Digital8 or DV. Still, its compact size and light weight make it easy to carry around almost anywhere and given the first 8mm camcorder I ever used was big enough that part of it sat on my shoulder, this is a great improvement. It comes with a 160 minute `InfoLithium' battery and little else except a lens cap and strap. It takes great pictures and has a nifty menu system navigated by a little wheel at the back that works like like a volume control and when you have selected what you want from the on-screen display, you just press the wheel to make it happen. This makes titling a snap. I do miss the title image-grabbing function from older 8mm cameras, though.

The 2.5" color back lit LCD screen is clear and easy to read in all but the brightest sunlight and failing that, it also has a small .5" black and white display through the view finder. The 40x zoom is fantastic, but you better have steady hands in order to use it. And using the 460x digital zoom is impossible with anything but a tripod. The camera is equipped with a nightshot mode that actually does work, amplifying light in dark areas, making the image more visible, if green. The TRV-108 also comes with some neat digital effects like sepia tone, which gives video a nice old movie look, a pastel effect which gives everything a cartoony look, black and white, 16:9 aspect shots, plus other effects. It can also do snazzy digital fade-ins and fade-outs.

This camera only really has two failings. For the most part, built in camera lights are useless, but the TRV-108 doesn't even have an accessory shoe for mounting an external light source. Something I found kind of maddening to the point where I even toyed with the idea of finding a camera at a garage sale, ripping it apart, and super glue the shoe to the top. Second, while the built-in microphone is very sensitive at picking up voices and ambient sounds, it does not have a foam wind sock. In moderate winds the roar of the air as it passed over the mike caused a lot of noise. And if it's too loud, like when I shot at the base of a waterfall, the noise caused image distortion lines! These two missing features cost the camera a full five-star review.

All in all though, this is a pretty decent little toy. It's not a serious camcorder and a far from a Canon GL-1s or Xl-1s, but for what I use it for, it's still pretty darn good. It's also low cost enough that purchasing it and using it as a good way to find out if you want to go for a bigger and better camera with more features, whether it be a Digital8 or Mini DV camera. It has taught me a lot about framing shots and what a pain the noon day sun can be. The long life of the battery means that, with a little mental effort, you can shoot a full 2 hour tape on one battery. Not bad for a trip to the zoo to send a tape to your folks.

Hi8 is fast fading into oblivion as MiniDV takes over the world and gets cheaper. If you want good video quality, you should go with a namebrand MiniDV camcorder -I recommend Sony, Panasonic and Canon. On the other hand, if you don't shoot a lot of videos and want something cheap, the Hi8 is still a good way to go. (I bought the TRV108 as a gift but tested it before giving it to my uncle-in-law.)

To someone who's used to MiniDV camcorders, the TRV108 feels big. It's actually normal for a 8mm camcorder. The LCD screen is sharp and bright -but as we shall see later, also a battery hog. The traditional eye-piece viewfinder is b&w, which is bad if you want to use it to conserve battery power.

The TRV108 gives out good video quality on Hi8 tapes. I would rate it "high" for a Hi8 model, but even the cheapest MiniDV camcorders (except for Samsung) can match such quality -plus they offer more bells and whistles. One nice thing is the inclusion of Sony's NightShot infrared technology -now you can turn your lights off and make those ghostly videos like in Blair Witch Project and Silence of the Lambs. :) The TRV108 also includes a host of effects you can add to your video footage.

One bad thing, though, is this model does not have the stabilizer. The TRV308 and other more expensive models include Sony's digital stabilizer. On the other hand, digital stabilizers degrade quality, so they work better on a digital camcorder than an analog one like the TRV108. Just make sure you have sturdy hands and arms.

Now the battery. The battery is definitely a problem and you'll want to buy an extra capacity battery. While the LCD turned on, you'll run out of the included battery in a matter of minutes. You can save power by using the b&w viewfinder, but that defeats the purpose of having the LCD, doesn't it? One plus feature is the included AC adapter works at both 110V and 220V.

If you have [the money], I highly recommend a MiniDV camcorder. Otherwise, make the TRV108 your entry-level home video making machine. You just can't beat its price and good quality for a Hi8 model.

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I've been waiting and waiting for the best value in a Sony Hi8 Camcorder and by far this is it! This is my very first camcorder. I've been doing a lot of research and comparison on which sony model will suit me best, then this came out. I quickly grabbed it after finding out how reasonably priced it was. I bought it at [a local store] during [a] Sale... I've never laid hand on a camcorder before and I am very pleased to find out how easy it was to operate. I was able to do the playback on my TV and dubbing on my VCR with ease. It has great features, great sound and best of all best picture quality. I know there are a lot of people out there like myself who are not ready to spend a lot of money on a camcorder especially for the very first time. Well, you will not be disappointed with this one! It comes with all the accessories to get you started. Battery charging is very fast, instructions are easy to follow when it comes to recording, playback and editing, the night shot feature is great, best of all the LCD screen is so fun to use especially when you have a "little one" to capture on video. This is definitely as great buy!

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This was our family's first camcorder and I'd have to say that it does its job wonderfully. This camcorder has all the basic features you need to create great home videos. Our results so far are very satisfying. The only drawback is that you must buy an extra battery AND a camcorder bag! These are essential accessories that you must get if you plan to travel with your camcorder. What I love about this camcorder is that it could automatically convert to 220V, which is great when you travel. There's also the nightshot feature. I guess what this lacks is the 'image stabilizer.' However, I heard that stabilizers may actually worsen the picture quality on Hi8 camcorders. Whatever the case, we are very happy with our purchase and would highly recommend this product. It's high quality by a great brand and it would last you til you upgrade ...

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My old hi 8 went caput after 10 years use that was very trouble free.The new one has way more features that the 100 and costs much less. ...

I use the viewfinder instead of the display as I am used to it and so far have recorded 3 hours on it and it tells me I have 2 hours left. I used the telephoto constantly which takes power put am very happy with the results

I recharge the battery after use with the no memory effect so no problems. I use the supplied battery for dubbing and it will run 2 hrs in the dubbing mode which is great.

I dub hi 8 super vhs output to a super vhs vcr and do not notice andy difference in the quality of the dub.

Yes there is a more blurry picture if you dub to standard vhs but that is normal.

Unless you want to do some super pro stuff this camera is the one to get. Dave PS get metal evaporated tape for top notch 400 lines picture quality.

Vivitar DVR 810HD 8.0MP Digital Video Camcorder with Built In Memory - Purple

I've only had it for a week, so the jury is still out. On the good side, this allowed me to record for 1.5 hours without interruption. Also, although specs say up to 8GB flash drive, I used a 16GB with no problems. The camera also has a quick tripod release that makes battery changing easy. ALL OF THESE THINGS WERE GREAT. One set of four AAA batteries lasted me 2 hours. This does NOT have a rechargeable battery, so figure that into your long-term cost. On the negative side, I bought this so I would have a continual sound track while splicing in clips (using iMovie) taken with my other digital camera. The microphone on this camera is nearly worthless IMHO. The sound quality of a simple digital camera was far superior. Overall, I think I will be able to work around the sound problem because my particular application has a sound track available that can be merged with iMovie, but the microphone quality was a bit of a disappointment.

Bought this for my Mom and it's easy to use, no charging required, very handy and sturdy as well

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Not at all what was expected. Very poor quality. The description said "high definition" but that is far from the truth! I will be returning this!

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